---
title: "Using Spree Commerce"
description: "How do I start using Spree for my project?"
---

First, you'd need to decide which Spree edition is a good fit for your project:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Community Edition" href="https://github.com/spree/spree/">
    To use the Spree Community Edition, available for free, you'd need to either be a Ruby on Rails developer or hire a dev team - in-house or from a proven agency. You'd also need to self-host it at an extra cost.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Enterprise Edition" href="https://www.getvendo.com/">
    To use Spree Enterprise Edition, called Vendo, you'd need to sign a contract for a paid license, and probably cutomize its code base to your needs - yourself or using a hired dev team. Then host it at an extra cost.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

So what sets both versions apart? Here's a [feature comparison](https://spreecommerce.org/pricing/) of the two editions and here's an [in-depth overview](https://spreecommerce.org/spree-commerce-version-comparison-community-edition-vs-enterprise-edition/).

To start using Spree, either version, the steps are usually:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Hire a development team">
    You need to be a Ruby on Rails developer or hire a dev & devops team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Setup Hosting">
    Spree gives you freedom of hosting anywhere you want.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Spree">
    Your developer needs to install and set up Spree.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customize Spree">
    Spree is fully customizable. Enterprise Edition comes with many more features.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Maintain & Optimize Spree">
    Spree requires dev & devops attention to keep running smoothly.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>Not a developer or devops yourself? Talk to us about [hiring a team for your project](https://spreecommerce.org/get-started/).</Tip>

## Looking for Developer Documentation?

This Spree user documentation is intended for business owners and site administrators of Spree e-commerce sites. Everything you need to know to configure and manage your Spree store can be found here.

If you are a Spree developer, you may find the [Developer Guides](/docs//developer) to be of benefit to you, though we strongly urge you to read through both sets of guides.

BTW Give Spree a [GitHub Star](https://github.com/spree/spree)<Icon icon="star" iconType="solid" color="#FFD43B" />, why dont't ya?

Thank you for supporting Spree open-source! <Icon icon="heart" iconType="solid" color="#FF0000" />

## Join Spree Slack

To join the Spree Community and over 6000+ Spree users and developers, please sign up for Spree Slack channels here: [https://slack.spreecommerce.org/](https://slack.spreecommerce.org/)

## Contact us

If you'd like to get in touch to share your feedback, request features, or start a new project, please fill out this contact form: [https://spreecommerce.org/get-started/](https://spreecommerce.org/get-started/)